Light fixtures are oftentimes installed in large quantities, such as by the hundreds or thousands. Upgrading such an installation to a “smart” lighting system generally requires a central lighting controller that wirelessly communicates with each of the individual light fixtures for ON/OFF and optionally dimming control and other control. Adding to each light fixture a wireless radio that can communicate with a central lighting controller, for example, a local gateway, can be costly, particularly when controlling light fixtures over a large area; therefore, a method of minimizing the per-fixture cost is needed. Lamps (e.g. light bulbs) can be replaced at a lower cost than replacing light fixtures in an existing installation, so one cost savings measure that has been introduced is to replace existing lamps with “smart lamps,” which are lamps that feature wireless connectivity. However, this solution does not solve the problem of the higher per-fixture cost for wireless radios that are effective over a large area or for high complexity radios that support a mesh network for covering a larger area. Additionally, when large quantities of light fixtures are controlled simultaneously by a single central lighting controller, the high quantity of resulting wireless transmissions can cause excess latency, lost transmissions, and other obstacles to proper lighting system function.
As such, it was realized by the inventors of the current disclosure that improvements are needed to wirelessly control a multitude of light fixtures at lower costs and with reduced wireless network congestion.